Communication apparatus and method of controlling the same

ABSTRACT

A communication apparatus comprises a registration unit that registers an external communication apparatus in response to a registration request from the external communication apparatus, an authentication unit that performs an authentication process for the external communication apparatus registered by the registration unit, and a transition unit that transit the communication apparatus into a registration release mode in a case that the authentication process of the authentication unit has not succeeded, wherein the registration release mode is a mode for receiving a registration release request from the external communication apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a communication apparatus that canperform wireless communication and a method of controlling the same.

Description of the Related Art

There are various standards for wireless communications that use radiowaves. Examples of such standards include so-called wireless LAN orWi-Fi defined by IEEE802.11a/b/g/n and the like, and Bluetooth widelyused for a headphone, a keyboard and the like. Further, there are otherstandards such as Zigbee and Z-Wave, which characteristically differfrom one another in frequency, reach distance, power consumption,transfer rate, price and the like. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.2014-225857 discloses a wireless communication system in whichcommunication between devices are performed by wireless communicationsuch as IEEE802.11, Zigbee and Z-Wave.

From the viewpoint of security and the like, in some of theabove-mentioned communication standards, such as Z-Wave, whenregistering a slave device to a controller device, a registration to anew controller device is not allowed unless the registered state in thecontroller device in which the slave device has been registered isreleased.

When a registration process is performed between a controller device anda slave device, first, a registration process is performed bynon-encrypted communication and an ID is allocated from the controllerdevice to the slave device. Subsequently, authentication is performedbetween the controller device and the slave device by, for example, akey exchange and a PIN code, and thus a safe communication channel isensured. However, when the authentication such as a key exchange hasfailed, and/or when an interruption is made by the user, a safecommunication channel is not ensured. Further, even when theauthentication has not succeeded as described, the registration of theslave device remains, and non-encrypted communication can still beperformed between the controller device and the slave device. Inaddition, to release the registered state between the controller deviceand the slave device, the user has to perform a predetermined operationon both the controller device and the slave device, and thus theoperation in the case where authentication has not succeeded iscomplicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a technique for improving the conveniencein the case where authentication in a registration of a slave device toa controller device has failed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided acommunication apparatus comprising: a registration unit configured toregister an external communication apparatus in response to aregistration request from the external communication apparatus; anauthentication unit configured to perform an authentication process forthe external communication apparatus registered by the registrationunit; and a transition unit configured to transit the communicationapparatus into a registration release mode in a case that theauthentication process of the authentication unit has not succeeded, theregistration release mode being a mode for receiving a registrationrelease request from the external communication apparatus.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of controlling a communication apparatus, comprising:registering an external communication apparatus in response to aregistration request from the external communication apparatus;performing an authentication process for the external communicationapparatus that is registered; and transiting the communication apparatusinto a registration release mode in a case where the authenticationprocess has not succeeded, the registration release mode being a modefor receiving a registration release request from the externalcommunication apparatus.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a programconfigured to cause a computer to execute a method of controlling acommunication apparatus, the method comprising: registering an externalcommunication apparatus in response to a registration request from theexternal communication apparatus; performing an authentication processfor the external communication apparatus that is registered; andtransiting the communication apparatus into a registration release modein a case where the authentication process has not succeeded, theregistration release mode being a mode for receiving a registrationrelease request from the external communication apparatus.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of acommunication system of a first embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary functionalconfiguration of a communication controller device 100.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a process of registering a communication slavedevice in the communication controller device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary notification screen for a case whereauthentication has failed.

FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary notification screen for a case where aregistration has been interrupted.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a process of registering a communication slavedevice in a communication controller device of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a sequence of an authentication process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of acommunication system of a first embodiment. The communication system ofthe first embodiment includes a communication controller device 100 anda communication slave device 200 that can be connected with each otherthrough wireless communication, and an external apparatus 301 connectedwith the communication controller device 100 via a network 302.

The communication controller device 100 includes a CPU 101, a memory102, a wireless communication unit 103 and a wired communication unit104. The CPU 101 includes one or more processors, and performs a controlof the entirety of the communication controller device 100, a control ofthe wireless communication unit 103 and the wired communication unit104, the processes of a flowchart described later and the like byexecuting a predetermined program stored in the memory 102. The memory102 is composed of one or more memories such as a ROM, a RAM and a harddisk, for example. The wireless communication unit 103 controls wirelesscommunication based on Z-wave standard with the communication slavedevice 200, which is an external communication device for thecommunication controller device 100. The wired communication unit 104controls communication via the network 302 with the external apparatus301. The network 302 is, for example, a wired LAN such as Ethernet, andmay be any other wired or wireless networks. Note that the communicationcontroller device 100 is, for example, a network camera, and may includeother hardware configurations such as an image-capturing unit that isnot illustrated in FIG. 1A.

The communication slave device 200 includes a wireless communicationunit 201, a CPU 202 and a memory 203. The wireless communication unit201 controls wireless communication based on Z-wave standard with thecommunication controller device 100, which is an external communicationdevice for the communication slave device 200. The CPU 202 includes oneor more processors, and achieves various controls of the communicationslave device 200 by executing a program stored in the memory 203. Thememory 102 is composed of one or more memories such as a ROM, a RAM anda hard disk, for example. Note that the communication slave device is,for example, a sensor device such as a temperature sensor, anillumination sensor and a human sensor, and may include a hardwareconfiguration for executing a required function in accordance with thesensor type.

The external apparatus 301 is used to operate the communicationcontroller device 100 by the user of the communication controller device100 and/or to display information from the communication controllerdevice 100. The external apparatus 301 includes an operation unit (notillustrated in the drawing) for receiving a user's operation and adisplay unit (not illustrated in the drawing) for displaying informationto the user. The network 302 is a communication medium between thecommunication controller device 100 and the external apparatus 301. Notethat the external apparatus 301, the network 302 and the wiredcommunication unit 104 are used for an operation input to thecommunication controller device 100 by the user, and for notification ofinformation to the user from the communication controller device 100,and as such the external apparatus 301, the network 302 and the wiredcommunication unit 104 are not essential components as a system. Inaddition, as an alternative configuration, the communication controllerdevice 100 may be provided with the functions of the operation unit andthe display unit. Note that the external apparatus 301 is, for example,a PC. Via the network 302, the external apparatus 301 can acquire animage and/or a video captured with a network camera serving as thecommunication controller device 100, and can display the image and/orthe video. Further, information for controlling the network camera canbe transmitted to the communication controller device 100 via thenetwork 302 to remote control the image-capturing of the network camera.Alternatively, the external apparatus 301 may be a mobile terminal suchas a smartphone, and in this case, it is desirable that the network 302be a wireless network such as a wireless LAN, or a public wirelessnetwork such as 3G and LTE.

Since the communication controller device 100 and the communicationslave device 200 use radio waves, it is necessary to perform aregistration process between these communication devices in order toestablish communication between the communication devices. Further, insome situation, it is necessary to perform an information exchangingprocess (pairing) for performing data encryption as necessary. Notethat, in the present embodiment, the communication devices areappropriately referred to as a controller device or a slave device so asto distinguish the devices in accordance with their roles. Theregistration process has two main roles. One main role is to determinethe connection between the devices, and with this role, devices that arenot physically connected can identify each other and communicate witheach other. The other role is to authenticate connected devices toestablish safe communication only between the connected devices, andwith this role, interception and/or spoofing by third parties can beprevented.

In Wi-Fi, the controller device holds a unique ID (SSID) and a password,and the SSID and the password are used when connecting the slave deviceto the controller device. Communication between the controller deviceand the slave device is enabled only when the authentication using thepassword has succeeded. With such a feature of the authenticationmethod, typically, a controller device does not manage slave devices andreceives communication from unspecified number of slave devices, and assuch leakage of the password may cause serious harm. Further, whenregistering a slave device to a new controller device, it is onlynecessary to use the SSID and the password of the new controller device.In Bluetooth, a given operation (typically, a long-press of a button orthe like) is performed in the controller device and the slave device atalmost the same time to exchange encryption keys during the operation,and thus encrypted communication of data is enabled. In addition, insome cases, a confirmation operation and/or input of numbers (PIN code)is additionally performed by the user to verify the validity of theencryption key. Since both the controller device and the slave deviceare required to be operated, a particular slave device can beselectively registered, and a slave device can be registered to a newcontroller device simply by performing a similar operation with the newcontroller device.

In Z-wave standard, for security purposes and the like, a registrationto a new controller device is not allowed unless the registered statebetween the controller device and the slave device is released. WhileZ-wave standard, on which the above-mentioned restriction is imposed, isassumed for the communication between the communication controllerdevice 100 and the communication slave device 200 in the presentembodiment, the present embodiment is applicable not only to Z-wave, butalso to any communication standard on which the above-mentionedrestriction is imposed.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary functionalconfiguration of a communication controller device 100. The functionalparts illustrated in FIG. 1B may be achieved with the CPU 101 byexecuting a program stored in the memory 102, or by dedicated hardware,or, by software and hardware in conjunction with each other.

A registration unit 111 registers the communication slave device 200 inresponse to a registration request from the communication slave device200, which is an external communication device. The registrationinformation includes at least identification information (ID) foruniquely identifying the device in communication based on Z-wave, and isstored in the memory 102, for example. An authentication unit 112performs an authentication process using authentication information (keyexchange, a PIN code and the like) for the communication slave device200 registered by the registration unit 111. A transition unit 113transits the communication controller device 100 (the wirelesscommunication unit 103) into a registration release mode for receiving aregistration release request from the communication slave device 200when the authentication process of the authentication unit 112 has notsucceeded. In response to a reception of a registration release requestfrom the communication slave device 200 in the registration releasemode, a deletion unit 114 deletes the registration of the communicationslave device 200 by the registration unit 111. A notification unit 115notifies a failure of authentication to the external apparatus 301 whenthe authentication has failed. Note that the notification unit 115 maynotify content of the notification (failure of authentication) to theuser instead of, or in addition to, the notification to the externalapparatus. Also, the notification unit 115 receives an instruction ofthe user from the external apparatus 301.

The transition unit 113 transits the wireless communication unit 103into the registration release mode in response to an instruction of theuser according to the notification unit 115 in the present embodimentalthough the transition unit 113 may transit the wireless communicationunit 103 into the registration release mode in response to a failure ofauthentication. For example, when a registration release instruction ismade by the user in response to a notification of an authenticationfailure from the notification unit 115, the transition unit 113 transitsthe wireless communication unit 103 into the registration release mode.With this configuration, the user can select whether to release or tomaintain the registered state of the communication slave device 200.

Next, with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 2, an exemplary screendisplay of FIG. 3A, and a device authentication sequence diagram of FIG.5, a registration process of the communication controller device 100 ofthe first embodiment is described. In a registration process of thepresent embodiment, when a safe communication channel cannot be ensuredbetween the communication controller device 100 and the communicationslave device 200, the registered state of the communication slave device200 in the communication controller device 100 is promptly released. Asa result, the re-registration process of the communication slave device200 can be promptly performed.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an operation of the communication controllerdevice 100 of the first embodiment. First, upon receiving a registrationstart instruction for the communication slave device 200 made by theuser in the external apparatus 301, the registration unit 111 transitsthe wireless communication unit 103 into a registration mode (S501).Next, the registration unit 111 waits for a registration requesttransmitted from the communication slave device 200 via the wirelesscommunication unit 201 (S502). The transmission of a registrationrequest from the communication slave device 200 is made by the useroperating the communication slave device 200.

Upon receiving a registration request from the communication slavedevice 200 (YES at S502), the registration unit 111 registers thecommunication slave device 200 as a slave device by exchanginginformation about the performance, property and the like of the devicesbetween the communication controller device 100 and the communicationslave device 200 (S503). The performance information of the devicesexchanged here includes information representing whether the deviceshave an encrypted communication function. When both the communicationcontroller device 100 and the communication slave device 200 have anencrypted communication function (YES at S504), the authentication unit112 performs a device authentication process between the communicationcontroller device 100 and the communication slave device 200 (S505). Thedevice authentication process includes a process of inputting andconfirming an authentication password (PIN code) for determining thevalidity of the device, and a process of exchanging an encryption key ofdata used in encrypted communication. Details of the deviceauthentication process is described later with reference to FIG. 5. Whenthe device authentication has succeeded (YES at S506), encryptedcommunication is enabled, and the communication controller device 100and the communication slave device 200 start encrypted communication(S507), and, the registration process is terminated.

When the device authentication has failed (NO at S506), such as when aninvalid PIN code is input and when the authentication has not beencompleted due to degradation of the communication quality and the like,the notification unit 115 notifies the external apparatus 301 that theauthentication has failed and that the communication slave device 200remains (S508). Upon receiving this notification, the external apparatus301 displays a screen 310 illustrated in FIG. 3A. The screen 310notifies that the authentication has failed and that the communicationslave device where the authentication has failed is in the registeredstate, while displaying a release button 311 and a maintain button 312.With the release button 311 and the maintain button 312, the user canselect whether to release or to maintain the registered state.

When the user instructs maintenance of the registration at the externalapparatus 301, or more specifically, when information representing apress of the maintain button 312 is received (NO at S509), this processis terminated without change. As a result, the registered state of thecommunication slave device 200 is maintained. When the user instructsrelease of the registration at the external apparatus 301, or morespecifically, when information representing a press of the releasebutton 311 is received (YES at S509), the transition unit 113 transitsthe wireless communication unit 103 into the registration release mode(S510). In the registration release mode, the communication controllerdevice 100 is allowed to receive a registration release request from thecommunication slave device 200.

The user operates the communication slave device 200 to transmit aregistration release request via the wireless communication unit 201.Upon receiving a registration release request from the communicationslave device 200 in the registration release mode (S511), the deletionunit 114 deletes the communication slave device 200 from theregistration of the communication slave device 200 (S512), andterminates this processing.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary device authentication process at S505.While it is assumed that a public key cryptography is used in thepresent embodiment, this is not limitative. Also, the location where theprocesses are executed and the order in which the processes are executedare not limited to those illustrated in the drawing.

First, information (a corresponding encryption algorithm and the like)used in the subsequent key exchanging process is exchanged between thecommunication controller device 100 and the communication slave device200 (S701). By using the information exchanged at S701, thecommunication slave device 200 transmits a public key to thecommunication controller device 100 (S702). The user inputs a PIN codeto the communication controller device 100 (S703). The authenticationunit 112 of the communication controller device 100 transmits the publickey to the communication slave device 200 (S704). The authenticationunit 112 determines the validity of the input PIN code by use of thereceived public key (S705). Upon determining the PIN code to be invalid,the authentication fails. Upon confirming the PIN code to be valid, thecommunication controller device 100 and the communication slave device200 exchange data encryption keys that are used in the subsequentcommunication (S706). Through the above-mentioned processes, anencrypted communication channel is ensured between the communicationcontroller device 100 and the communication slave device 200 (S707).

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when acommunication controller device fails in an authentication process witha communication slave device, the communication controller devicetransits into the operation registration deletion mode in an automaticmanner or by a simple operation on a notification screen such as thatillustrated in FIG. 3A. Thus, in the case where authentication hasfailed and the safe communication path cannot be ensured, can be easilyhandled. In addition, since a notification screen such as thatillustrated in FIG. 3A is employed, the user can select whether tomaintain the registered state, and thus the case where theauthentication has failed can be handled with improved flexibility andoperability.

Second Embodiment

In the first embodiment, a process of releasing the registered state ofthe communication slave device in response to a failure ofauthentication is described. The second embodiment describes a processof releasing the registered state of the communication slave device whenan interruption is instructed during an authentication process. Thesecond embodiment presents a process of the communication controllerdevice 100 that can promptly perform a registration release of thecommunication slave device 200 when an interruption is instructed by theuser while trying to ensure a safe communication channel between thecommunication controller device 100 and the communication slave device200. Note that the configurations and the authentication process of thecommunication system, the communication controller device 100 and thecommunication slave device 200 are similar to those of the firstembodiment (FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIG. 5).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a process of registering a communication slavedevice by a communication controller device of the second embodiment.FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary notification screen in the case wherethe registration is interrupted. An operation of the communicationcontroller device 100 according to the second embodiment is describedbelow with reference to FIG. 3B and FIG. 4.

The processes to S505 (S501 to S505) for the device authenticationprocess are similar to those of the first embodiment. Whether the userhas instructed an interruption in the period from the start of thedevice authentication process to a success in authentication (NO atS610), is being confirmed (S601). When no interruption has beeninstructed (NO at S601) and the authentication has been succeeded (YESat S610), encrypted communication is enabled, and the communicationcontroller device 100 and the communication slave device 200 startencrypted communication (S507), and, the registration process isterminated.

When an interruption is instructed before the success of theauthentication is confirmed (YES at S601), the authentication unit 112interrupts the device authentication process with the wirelesscommunication unit 103 (S602). Upon the authentication unit 112interrupting the authentication process, the notification unit 115 makesa notification about the interruption (S603). Upon receiving thenotification, the external apparatus 301 displays a screen 320illustrated in FIG. 3B. The screen 320 notifies that the registrationprocess including the device authentication has been interrupted, thatthe communication slave device 200 is in the registered state, and thatthe registered state will be released. In this case, the intention ofthe user to interrupt the registration is clear, and therefore theregistered state should be promptly released. For this reason, therelease button 311 and the maintain button 312 for the user to selectwhether to release or to maintain the registration are not provided inthe screen 320, unlike the screen 310.

The transition unit 113 transits the wireless communication unit 103into the registration release mode without waiting for the user'soperation (registration release instruction) (S510). Subsequently, S510to S512 are similar to those of the first embodiment (FIG. 2). In theabove-mentioned, when an instruction of interrupting the registration isreceived during execution of the authentication of the authenticationprocess, the communication controller device 100 immediately transitsthe wireless communication unit 103 into the registration release mode.Note that only the release button 311 may be displayed such that theuser confirms and instructs a release of the registered state. Further,as in the first embodiment, the release button 311 and the maintainbutton 312 may be displayed on the screen 320 such that the user selectswhether to release or to maintain the registered state of thecommunication slave device 200.

As described above, according to the first and second embodiments, theregistered state of the communication slave device can be promptlyreleased in the case where a safe communication channel has not beenensured in a wireless communication standard in which a registration toa new controller device is not allowed unless the registered statebetween the communication controller device and the communication slavedevice is released. As a result, the re-registration of thecommunication slave device can be quickly performed, and thus the userconvenience is improved.

While the process of releasing the registered state in response to afailure of authentication is described in the first embodiment and theprocess of releasing the registered state in response to an instructionof an interruption is described in the second embodiment, it is evidentthat these processes may be combined. In this case, either of theprocess of the first embodiment and the process of the second embodimentis executed may be selected in accordance with the cause of the failureof the authentication process. For example, the notification of FIG. 3Ais provided in the case where a failure of the authentication process isthe cause, and the notification of FIG. 3B is provided in the case wherethe cause is an instruction of an interruption. While a network camera,a sensor device and a PC are exemplified as the controller device, theslave device and the external apparatus, respectively, in theembodiments, the present embodiment is applicable to other devices.

Other Embodiments

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully asanon-transitory computer-readable storage medium') to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc(BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2018-082461, filed Apr. 23, 2018, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication apparatus comprising: aregistration unit configured to register an external communicationapparatus in response to a registration request from the externalcommunication apparatus; an authentication unit configured to perform anauthentication process for the external communication apparatusregistered by the registration unit; and a transition unit configured totransit the communication apparatus into a registration release mode ina case that the authentication process of the authentication unit hasnot succeeded, the registration release mode being a mode for receivinga registration release request from the external communicationapparatus.
 2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising a deletion unit configured to delete a registration of theexternal communication apparatus by the registration unit upon receivingthe registration release request from the external communicationapparatus in the registration release mode.
 3. The communicationapparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the case that theauthentication process of the authentication unit has not succeededincludes a case that the authentication by the authentication processhas failed; and the communication apparatus further comprises anotification unit configured to notify a failure of authentication inthe case that the authentication by the authentication process hasfailed.
 4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:the case that the authentication process of the authentication unit hasnot succeeded includes a case that an instruction of interrupting aregistration is received during the authentication process; and thecommunication apparatus further comprises a notification unit configuredto notify an interruption of the registration in the case that theinstruction of interrupting the registration is received during theauthentication process.
 5. The communication apparatus according toclaim 3, wherein: the notification unit receives a user's selectionwhether to release a registration of the external communicationapparatus; and the transition unit transits the communication apparatusto the registration release mode in a case where the release of theregistration is selected by the selection of the user.
 6. Thecommunication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transitionunit maintains the registration of the external communication apparatusby the registration unit in a case where maintenance of the registrationis selected by the selection of the user.
 7. The communication apparatusaccording to claim 3, wherein the case that the authentication by theauthentication process has failed includes a case that invalidauthentication information is input, or a case where the authenticationis not completed due to degradation of communication quality.
 8. Thecommunication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the transitionunit transits the communication apparatus to the registration releasemode without waiting for a user's operation in a case where theinstruction of interrupting the registration is received duringauthentication by the authentication process.
 9. The communicationapparatus according to claim 3, wherein the notification unit includes adisplay unit configured to display content of a notification.
 10. Thecommunication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the notificationunit transmits a notification to an external apparatus, the externalapparatus being different from the external communication apparatus. 11.A method of controlling a communication apparatus, comprising:registering an external communication apparatus in response to aregistration request from the external communication apparatus;performing an authentication process for the external communicationapparatus that is registered; and transiting the communication apparatusinto a registration release mode in a case where the authenticationprocess has not succeeded, the registration release mode being a modefor receiving a registration release request from the externalcommunication apparatus.
 12. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium storing a program configured to cause a computer to execute amethod of controlling a communication apparatus, the method comprising:registering an external communication apparatus in response to aregistration request from the external communication apparatus;performing an authentication process for the external communicationapparatus that is registered; and transiting the communication apparatusinto a registration release mode in a case where the authenticationprocess has not succeeded, the registration release mode being a modefor receiving a registration release request from the externalcommunication apparatus.